July 9, 2007 - Sophie Kevany and Jane Anson, in Bordeaux

Bordeaux ultra-blue chip properties Le Pin and Pétrus have finally released their en primeur 2006 wine prices. Both will retail for more than €1000 per bottle.

Le Pin owner Jacques Thienpont said he had released his 2006 wine for €500 per bottle ex-chateau, the same price as the 2005 vintage.

The production of Le Pin in 2006 was 18 barrels, or 5,400 bottles. Thienpont said he had put almost all the 2006 production on the market, keeping back only two barrels or 600 bottles for personal use, for tastings and some for possible sale at a later date.

Thienpont also told decanter.com that just over two weeks ago he had expanded Le Pin to from 2ha to 2.2ha.

'I bought contiguous land from a neighbour, so I now have 2.10 hectares in one block and .10 hectares about 800 metres away,' he said.

The ex-chateau price of Pétrus could not be confirmed, but sources in Bordeaux suggest it was released to the trade last Wednesday at around €450-500 per bottle.

Both of the ultra-exclusive Pomerol properties are distributed privately and are not sold through the Place de Bordeaux system of wine merchants. They are now trading on what is described by merchants in Bordeaux as a 'parallel market'.

Here, Le Pin is currently said to be selling for about €750 per bottle to local merchants, for resale at about €1,000, and Pétrus for about €1,200 for resale at about €1,500.

Frederic Delmas of Etablissement Duclot, which distributes Pétrus for the Moueix family who own the estate, told decanter.com, 'As this is a private company, we don't release prices.'

The Pétrus price was said to have been flashed on the Duclot website on Wednesday night, but it has since been removed.

The UK agents for Pétrus, Corney and Barrow, said they would not have their retail price finalised until next week (as of Monday 16 July). The production from the 11.3ha estate in 2006 was about 30,000 bottles, said Oliver Hartley, Corney and Barrow sales director.

Corney and Barrow also receives a very small Le Pin allocation, but Hartley said this is kept to sell at a later date to a limited number of private customers. Hartley agreed that both wines would retail for more than €1,000 per bottle.

Le Pin and Petrus were both given five stars by James Lawther on decanter.com, with Le Pin 'topping the 2005', the critic says.

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